Global Times: Zhang Dejiang Met with HK Opposition Members
Qiushi: Dealing with Arguments against the Anti-corruption Campaign
Critics of China’s anti-corruption campaign have offered numerous arguments in favor of stopping the campaign. On May 15, 2015, Qiushi published a commentary rebutting critics’ remarks opposing the campaign.
Xi Jinping: Standardizing Police Operations
On May 20, 2016, Xi Jinping chaired the 24th Meeting of the Communist Party’s Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform and delivered an important speech. At the meeting the “Opinion on Deepening the Standardization of Public Security Law Enforcement” was reviewed and passed.
Xinhua Commentary on the U.S. Political System and Press Freedom
Xinhua carried an article on the recent Democracy Spring in Washington D.C. While over one thousand people were arrested, the lack of media coverage of the incident was notable. The article attacked the defects in the U.S. system of democracy. It said these defects were the cause of some recent events including, “Occupy Wall Street,” “Black Life Matters,” and the “Democracy Spring.” The article then mentioned that the press freedom in the U.S. often misleads the people. It mentioned that the heated debates seen on television have overshadowed two underlining facts: the media must follow the requirements of their financial supporters and they also must do their best to attract an audience. Lastly the article claimed that the U.S. always attacks other countries for violating media guidelines but it has often ignored its own issues; the U.S. media often use a double standard then they attack other countries for violating human rights issues when the media in the U.S. does not even speak up for its own people. It concluded by quoting an article from the New York Times titled, “The End of American Idealism” and raised the question that, when the U.S. faces so many issues, how long can American Idealism really last?
Source: Xinhua, May 23, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2016-05/23/c_129006242_3.htm
SASAC to Find solutions for SOEs That Have Financial Trouble
Recently, Xinhua reported on a news conference that the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) held. According to Xinhua, 12 SOEs went through restructuring in 2015. More SOEs will go through the merger and acquisition process in 2016. The article also said that SASAC is determined to spend the next three years finding a solution for 345 SOEs that are in financial trouble. It will also bring down the production volume in the coal mine and steel industries by 10 percent in the next two years. Another proposal to improve the profitability and efficiency of the SOEs is to reduce the number of management levels to no more than 3 or 4 levels while striving for lean and efficient management during the upcoming SOE reforms.
Source: Xinhua, May 23, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2016-05/23/c_129006195.htm
A Record Number of College Graduates Expected in 2016
According to a Xinhua article, there will be 7.6 million college graduates in China this summer, a record high in history. The article said that these college graduates have lowered their expectations on the pay they will receive. The average monthly salary that these college graduates hope to make is below 5,000 yuan (US$764). Some of them expressed a willingness just to find a job first and then to be able to switch to the field of their major later. Many of them feel that there is a large gap between their expectations and reality. At the same time, their employers do not have a good understanding of their skills. The article also used statistics that found that 29.5 percent of the college graduates will find jobs in IT, the Internet, telecommunications and the electronics field; 16.1 percent will be in manufacturing and the auto industries; and 13.7 percent will be in the finance, banking, investment, and insurance fields.
Source: Xinhua, May 23, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2016-05/23/c_129006028.htm
Political Rivalry in China Part 2 – “Should the State Media Be Loyal to the Party?”
Part 2: “Should the State Media Be Loyal to the Party?”
The Preface and Part 1 of this series explained that former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin left two legacies to China: a system of corruption and the persecution of Falun Gong. To prevent being charged and held accountable, Jiang and his followers tried to hold onto their power after Jiang retired. They even plotted coups against the current leader Xi Jinping, who is not part of Jiang’s faction.